It would be “unwise” and “unsustainable” for Boris Johnson to remain as prime minister while a Conservative Party elects a new leader, former Prime Minister Sir John Major has warned.
Johnson announced his resignation as Tory party leader on July 7, triggering a leadership contest. But he insisted he will remain as prime minister until October, when a new leader is expected to be elected.
Johnson’s plan has prompted a backlash from party grandees and political opponents, who have lambasted his attempt to “cling on” in Number 10 Downing Street until the autumn.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson addresses the nation as he announces his resignation outside 10 Downing Street on July 7, 2022. (Leon Neal/Getty Images)
In a letter to Sir Graham Brady, chairman of the 1922 Committee of backbench Conservative MPs, Major said such an arrangement is “unwise and maybe unsustainable” as Johnson has already “lost the support of his Cabinet, his government, and his parliamentary party.”…